May 2026. A Tour of the Rhone, Peter Freeman

 

This month we had Peter Freeman presenting A Tour of the Rhone. An eclectic selection with wine at both ends of the scale – bought from Tesco or Vinatis, an online very French Wine warehouse.

Peter has decades of experience and if quite old school, was very entertaining and knowledgeable.

One of the interesting/annoying thing about these wines is that Cotes de Rhone allows 18 different grapes – but you are unlikely to be able to work out which grapes are in the wine you are buying. Also,90%+ of Cotes de Rhone production is Red.

White

Côtes du Rhône Villages Blanc, SR, 2024. 13.0%. £9.50. Tesco

               Quite a rounded white with some body to it. Probably Grenache blanc/Marsanne.

Luberon “L'Oustalet”, SR, 2024. 13.0%. £10.00. Tesco

               Vielle Vignes. Lighter and Fresher

St Peray “Nobles Rives”, NR, 2024. 13.0%. £18.49.. Vinatis

               A very powerful white, a Roussane/Marsanne blend.

Red

Côtes du Rhône Villages Rouge Signargues , SR, 2024. 14.0%. £9.50. Tesco

               Basic Cotes de Rhone. Decent enough

Lirac Lafont, SR, 2024. 14.5%. £14.00. Tesco

A blend of grapes – probably 5 or 6 in here, with a lot of Grenache. A solid wine which would benefit from 3 or 4 more years.

Cornas “Les Arènes”, NR, 2022. 13.0%. £36.26. Vinatis

A top of the range wine. Pure Syrah, and one of the smallest appellations out there, so suffers from supply/demand. A good alternative to a good Hermitage.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Ch de Vaudieu, SR, 2021. 15.0%. £38.66. Vinatis

Mostly grenache & syrah. Very powerful, full bodied, alcoholic. Very nice indeed.

Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Vignon, SR, 2022. 15.0%. £16.74. Everywhere.

A sweetie.

March 2026 - Carole Hazlehurst. British Winemakers abroad

 

I was on holiday, so can’t report much, so for the record, these were the wines

 

Framingham Pinot Gris, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2023, 13.5%

Holden Manz Chenin Blanc, Coastal Region, South Africa, 2023, 12.5%

Domaine Begude, Le Paradis Viognier, Haute Vallée de L'Aude, 2024, 13%

Mirabeau Pure, Côtes de Provence, 2024, 12.5%

Incanta Pinot Noir, Romania, 2024, 12.5%

Paso-Primero Pasotismo, Somontano, Spain, 2022, 13.5%

Our Fathers, There is a light, McLaren Vale 2023, 14.5%

Domaine Treloar, Le Maudit, Côtes de Roussillon, 2012, 14%

April 2026 - The AGM. Wines by the Committee

 

So, The AGM. As usual we had wines by the committee – plus yours truly.

The theme was “Your personal favourite (or close) at an affordable price”. Interestingly 7 of the 8 were from Europe, with the 8^th from South Africa, so no new world or antipodean wine at all. 4 whites, 4 reds. The prices are a bit of a movable feast, as several of the wines were bought on various offers – 25% off, 33% off, Majestic Mix 6 etc…

Casal de Ventozela, Vinho Verde, Majestic– Arinto 10.5% (Portugal) - £9.50 (Mix 6)

Vouvray, Sainsbury's - Chenin Blanc 11.5% (France) - £8.44

No 1 Gavi di Gavi, Waitrose – Cortese 13.0% (Italy) - £11.25 (at 25% off)

Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi, Sainsburys - Verdicchio  13.0% (Italy) £7 (at 25% for 6)

Von Der Land, Zweigelt, Majestic 12.7% (Austria) - £11 (Mix 6)

Garnacha 2025, Cariñena 14.0% (Spain) – Bought in Spain - €5

The Guv'nor' VIP, Majestic Tempranillo 14.0% (Spain) - £10

KWV Petit Verdot 2024 Petit Verdot 14.0% (South Africa) £12.99 on offer from “The Wine Flyer)

 

As usual, i’m not going to do a best/worst. They were all jolly good.